


It'll Be Alright

by PiscesDragon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bromance, Canon Universe, Friendship, Heartbreak, M/M, S8 sucks so hard, Songfic, Tiny Sprinkle of Klance, keith is broken, writing my feelings instead of drinking them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-11
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 21:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18432128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiscesDragon/pseuds/PiscesDragon
Summary: Keith’s friendship with Shiro was built slowly with love and caring; his friendship with Lance was forged in fire. It’s different but just as strong. And there’s something to be said for having someone that knows what you’re going through when you’re hurting. When Lance gets a call that his friend is a hot mess and needs his help, he knows he has no choice but to show up. He may not be the most comforting person, but when Keith’s heart gets broken, Lance is there to get him through it.If something was wrong or Keith needed someone, it seemed like Shiro would be the one to call first. He was Keith’s best friend after all. Lance couldn’t understand why he would be the one Krolia thought could help whatever Keith was dealing with.





	It'll Be Alright

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by the song “Be Alright” by Dean Lewis (one word of lyrics tweaked to make it gender-fit). 
> 
> I kept hearing it, and I just couldn’t stop picturing Lance and Keith at a bar.
> 
> Big shoutout to [DropsOfAutumn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DropsOfAutumn/pseuds/DropsOfAutumn) for proofreading this for me! Please check out her work!

 

_ I know you love him, but it's over, mate _

_ It doesn't matter, put the phone away _

_ It's never easy to walk away, let him go _

_ It'll be alright _

_ It's gonna hurt for a bit of time _

_ So bottoms up, let's forget tonight _

_ You'll find another and you'll be just fine _

_ Let him go _

_ It'll be alright _

 

Krolia  was the one who  had called him, which  was extremely concerning right from the start . Lance  knew Keith’s mother and  had spent some time with her during their long trip back to Earth, so he  was well aware that she didn’t ask for help lightly. She  was one of the most capable people he  knew and  had a whole team of Blades to call in for backup if required. Not to mention that if something  was wrong or Keith needed someone, they all knew Shiro was the one to call first. He  was Keith’s best friend after all. Lance couldn’t understand why he would be the one Krolia thought could help with whatever Keith  was dealing with.

“Of course, I’ll come if you think he needs me,” Lance said to Krolia, looking at her concerned face on the data pad. He still  was n’t entirely clear what the problem  was . “But did you try Shiro first? He’s probably going to have more luck getting him to talk than I will.”

Krolia’s face morphed into a pained scowl. “No, Shiro is definitely NOT the best person to help with this. He is… more the crux of the problem.”

It took him a moment to understand what she  was saying. How could Shiro be causing problems for Keith? They  were n’t even on the same planet at the moment. Keith  was temporarily on New  Daibazaal with the Blades, and Lance  had heard from Shiro on Earth a few weeks ago when he  had been calling  all of the paladins to announce his recent engagement. Unless…

“Oh,” he breathed, finally connecting the dots. He  had to  know for sure. “The engagement?”

Krolia nodded, her gaze dropping to her lap.

Lance  had never really known for sure what Keith  felt for Shiro. Their relationship  was so close, they  had shared so much, that from the outside it  was like looking into the sun. There  was really no way to get a clear picture of what  was going on between them. They  were both fairly private people; during their years together in the Castle of Lions, neither Keith nor Shiro  had ever been very open to discussing their personal lives. Lance  had always assumed that Keith  had a crush on his best friend, and after a while, he assumed it  was reciprocated. Shiro  had always  had a way of looking at Keith with soft eyes or saying his name just a little differently than anyone else’s.  Had always seemed to be looking for an excuse to touch Keith and lay a hand on his shoulder. Shiro clearly cared for everyone on the team, but there  had always been  _ more _ there with Keith.

They had all been somewhat blindsided by the news that Shiro was getting married. He and Pidge had talked for an hour about their surprise that it _was_ _n’t_ to the Black Paladin, commiserating about the money they lost in the Garrison betting pool. They had both believed Keith and Shiro were just very good at keeping things behind closed doors.

“So, how bad is it?” Lance asked. “We got the call a few weeks ago. I’m assuming Shiro would have called him first?”

“He found out almost a  phoeb ago,” Krolia explained. “He did alright for about a movement, but his mood has gotten gradually worse. He’s lethargic and I can’t get him to eat anything…”

It  WAS  bad, then. Lance recognized it because it  had n’t been that long ago that he  had been  there himself. Heartbreak  was a bitch. Lance assumed Keith  had no idea she  was calling and begging him to visit. That  was bound to make it even more awkward when he showed up in a few days. Keith  was definitely in need of a friend, or at the very least a distraction.

“I’ll be there just as soon as I can,” he said, already planning what he needed to do before heading out. Nothing  was going on in his life that  was so important he couldn’t find someone to cover for him.

His friend needed him, and he would have his back like always. Keith  had done the same for him, after all.

 

*****

_ I look up from the ground _

_ To see your sad and teary eyes _

_ You look away from me _

_ And I see there's something you're trying to hide _

_ And I reach for your hand but it's cold _

 

“Keith?” Good Lord, he almost wouldn’t have recognized him. Greasy black hair hung flat around his head as he lay curled up on the bed like a cat, eyes sunken and amplifying the dark circles underneath. The whites of his eyes flashed yellow for a moment when he looked at him and then went back to normal when Keith recognized him. There was a faint purple sheen to his skin, and Lance suspected his friend’s Galra genes possibly kicked in somehow when his body was under stress. He had to give him credit, that was one hell of a self-defense mechanism.

He had never seen Keith like this. It was frightening as hell, and considering all the things they had seen and been through, that was saying something. He wondered if this is how Keith felt when he’d lost all his marbles after Allura’s sacrifice.

Lance felt so unqualified for dealing with this. In any other situation, Shiro really would be the best one for handling it. But that was out and there was nobody else. He didn’t think Hunk would be much help either - he would probably just try to cook something. Then again, Keith looked a little thinner than normal. A few weeks of not eating and he was probably losing muscle mass.  Maybe  calling in backup wasn’t a bad idea. He wondered if Pidge had some free time too.

“Keith, buddy,” Lance said quietly, moving over to sit next to him on the bed. His friend reeked, and he wondered how long it had been since he’d really left the room.  Getting  Keith into the shower, by force if necessary, was quickly moved to the top of his to-do list. “I’d ask how you’re doing, but I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea.

“What are you doing here?” Keith’s voice was a raspy whisper, barely audible probably due to weeks of disuse.  _ At least it matched his outward appearance _ , Lance thought.

“Oh, you  know . I got bored. Nothing really going on at the farm. Nieces and nephews  were making me a little crazy. I decided I needed a break for a while. You don’t mind that I dropped by uninvited, do you?”

“My mom called you…” Jesus, he even sounded like he  was dying.

“Nah, I’m psychic now - did I forget to tell you?” Lance joked. “Side effect of these cool glowing cheekbones. The universe sent me a signal I needed to come see you. I just followed directions, man.”

“So she did call you.”

Lance ignored him. “So, what do you want to do first? Talk? Or shower? I’m going to suggest the shower, but you’re better at being in charge, so you make the call.”

Keith glared at him in response and didn’t move. Lance gave him a minute and then continued, “Ok, I’m going to have to tell you the same thing you told me. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. And I’m not  gonna lie, I’m kind of hoping you go with the hard way.”

Normally, there was no way Lance would be able to take him, but if Keith was physically weak he had a shot. At Keith’s continued dirty look he pressed on, “Payback’s a bitch, and I’m pretty sure when I throw  _ you  _ in the shower with your clothes on, you’re going to  look like a drowned cat. And that’s a mental image that I need in my life. Like a permanent happy thought I can picture at any moment to cheer myself up,” Lance said with a wistful smile. “I won’t promise I won’t take pictures either. Other people should get to enjoy this, too.”

Keith narrowed his eyes in response, a yellow glow shining in them for a moment. Lance  had known him too long and they  had been through way too much together to be intimidated by it.

“Fine,” Keith spit at him as he started moving around to get out of the bed. When he stood up he swayed slightly, and Lance quickly stood and placed a hand at his back to steady him. Keith grumbled but  was at least able to carry himself to the door across the room, which Lance assumed  was the bathroom. Lance heard shuffling and the water turn on behind the door. He kept an ear perked in case Keith fell or something, not comfortable with how weak Keith  had seemed on his feet.

Krolia’s head peeked out from behind the bedroom door a moment later. “I heard the water running. Figured this might be a good time to pop in for a minute to clean up and change his sheets.”

Lance nodded and helped her quickly strip the bed and replace the sheets. Krolia glanced around the room to see if anything else needed to be dealt with. There  were a few scattered pieces of clothing she picked up and added to the laundry pile in her arms. She gave Lance a soft  look . “Thank you.”

He gave her a half smile in return as she turned and went back through the doorway just as the shower kicked off. A minute later Keith  was back, waist wrapped in a towel and rummaging through a trunk at the foot of his bed. Keith slid on some pants, and Lance cast a furtive glance at him while he threw on a red t-shirt. He  was right - Keith  had definitely lost some weight. A burst of anger at Shiro for doing this to his friend shot through him. It cooled as quickly as it came though - Shiro  had no idea about any of this.

Once he  was dressed, Keith sat back down beside him on the bed. Lance took the fact that he  was upright as a good sign. He looked a little better, less lavender but still pale. Keith reached over to the table to grab a glass of water he  had n’t noticed before. Krolia must have brought it in with her earlier.

“ Feel better?”

“A little,” Keith answered. The moisture from the shower and drink must have helped because he sounded a little more human.

“At least you smell better,” laughed Lance.

“Thanks,” Keith smirked. That  was a good sign. Responding  was good. Lance would take sarcasm over silence any day.

“So…” Lance started. Keith  was never good at beating around the bush. He  knew exactly why Lance  was there, so he  was hoping Keith would take the hint and put them both out of their misery. All Lance  had to go on  was speculation about things he  was n’t directly involved in. Keith  was going to have to lead the discussion because Lance  had no idea where to even start.

Keith took a deep breath. “He’s getting married,” he said, and his face crumpled as he curled in on himself. He looked so pathetic, Lance didn’t even have to think before putting an arm around his shoulders. Saying things out loud always made them more real. More permanent. More painful.

“I  know .”

“He wants me to be his fucking  _ best man _ .” The sound of Keith whimpering  was something he could have gone without in his life. It  was disturbing - wrong somehow - and Lance’s heart broke for his friend.

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah.”

 

_ You pull away again _

_ And I wonder what's on your mind _

_ And then you say to me you made a dumb mistake _

_ You start to tremble and your voice begins to break _

 

“I thought there was time.  Maybe  a chance,” Keith sobbed. “I was trying to give him space before bringing anything up, after everything we’d been through. I leave Earth for a couple of months and he gets  _ engaged _ ?!”

He grabbed ahold of Lance’s hand and held on like it was a lifeline keeping him from shattering to pieces. There were tears ran down his face, leaving tracks on his cheeks and flowing together to drip off the end of his chin.

“Fate is a fickle bitch, my friend,” Lance said. There was nothing else to say. He had been there. He was well aware of exactly what it was like when things happened that were out of your control. When the options were taken from you. When there was nothing you could do to go back and change the choices that others had made.

“How did you... how do you do it? How do you get past this?” he groaned, leaning into Lance’s side for support. Lance squeezed his shoulder tightly, as if he could somehow will his energy into Keith’s body. It was a shame he didn’t know anything about transferring quintessence. Allura had left him with Altean marks, but unfortunately none of the know-how. If there was one thing Lance felt like magic should be good for it was healing emotional pain.

Lance  was quiet for a moment, wishing he  had a better answer or an easy solution for his friend. All he  had to offer  was the truth.

“You don’t,” he answered. “You cope. You keep breathing. Keep moving. Live. You just learn to deal with it.”

 

_ But nothing heals the past like time _

_ And they can't steal _

_ The love you're born to find _

_ I know you love him, but it's over, mate _

_ It doesn't matter, put the phone away _

_ It's never easy to walk away, let him go _

_ It'll be alright _

 

Lance gripped Keith’s chin tightly and forced his eye contact. “Jesus, this thing is pointy!”

Amethyst eyes stared at him miserably, and Lance wished he could snap his fingers and fix this mess. Unfortunately, life was never simple.

“Let him go,” Lance said gently. “It will be ok.”

“I don’t want to live without him.”

“You don’t have to - he’s not dead,” Lance said pointedly. He knew it was harsh, but he couldn’t stop himself. As much as he felt bad for Keith, the guy needed to keep some perspective.

Keith grimaced and looked away, ashamed. “Sorry.”

“Hearts all break the same, man,” Lance said. “Different reasons, but I’m sure it feels the same.”

“Like your body has given up, your organs are failing, and you’re dying?”

“Pretty much.”

Keith looked down at his lap, pulling at a loose string in his pants. “I don’t even remember it hurting this much when my dad passed.”

“I think it gets harder as we get older. We’re not as naïve, and we appreciate more what we’ve lost,” Lance said, regarding him with sympathy. He wondered how old Keith had been when his dad died. He may have actually known Shiro longer than his own father at this point. “But you haven’t  _ lost _ Shiro, man. You guys still talk, right? You’re still friends?”

Keith sighed and gave Lance a tired look. “I’ve been radio silent pretty much since he… told me, but yeah. I don’t know how to  _ not _ be there for Shiro. It’s like... from the moment he bailed me out of juvie and helped me as a teenager, there’s a piece of me that just attached to him. I can’t let go. Like the wolf when he gets his teeth into something he doesn’t want to let anybody take.”

“Or a piece of shrapnel you can’t dig at for fear of nicking an artery and bleeding out,” Lance tried to joke.

“Yeah, exactly,” said Keith. “I’m guessing Allura is embedded in your heart like that, too.”

“Yeah,” Lance whispered. They were both getting pulled back down into maudlin thoughts, which Lance knew wasn’t very productive. They were edging close to quicksand, and if he did nothing he knew it would be all too easy to let Keith pull him down into it, too.

“What time is it here anyway?” he asked, changing the subject. “I’ve completely lost the plot with the interplanetary traveling. Is it too early to get a drink somewhere?”

Implementing Part Dos of Operation Get-Keith-Out-of-His-Head was definitely going to require a change of scenery. Since he was on a totally unfamiliar planet, Lance was going to have to rely on Keith to choose the location. That didn’t bode well, but he hoped the place would at least have karaoke. 

 

*****

_ It's gonna hurt for a bit of time _

_ So bottoms up, let's forget tonight _

_ You'll find another and you'll be just fine _

_ Let him go _

_ It'll be alright _

 

They were settled into a booth at the back of a dive bar near the edge of the city where Keith and Krolia had set up their base of operations. It had taken a little work to convince Keith to leave the house, but eventually he caught on that Lance was going to be a persistent pain in the ass until he relented. They’d both had a couple of shots in quick succession to get the (pity) party started, and after a while Lance had started to lose track of counting. He hoped that Krolia would have a way to track them down if they couldn’t find their way home later. He had full confidence in her abilities - and enough alcohol in his system that putting his blind trust in the universe to keep him safe seemed like a good idea.

“What the hell are these things?” Lance asked, looking at the bowl of round green items sitting in the middle of the table. He picked one up, sniffing it and poking at it with his thumb.

“I don’t know,” said Keith. “Nuts? I’m sure it’s edible, whatever it is.”

Lance popped one in his mouth, chewing carefully. He’d had enough experience with Hunk to realize that a lot of the time a thing might be edible, but it was better not to ask for answers about what it was.  Being  a Voltron paladin hadn’t made him an adventurous eater so much as a connoisseur of the unquestioned. 

“Can I tell you something without you hitting me?” Lance asked.

“I’m not sure I’ve had enough to drink to promise you that.”

“For real - I thought you and Shiro were a thing,” Lance said. “Like, just assumed it. For a  _ long _ time.”

Keith looked at him in confusion. “What the hell made you think that?”

“Dude, Shiro is  _ constantly _ touching you whenever you’re in the same room. When we were on the Castle, he never made contact with anyone else like that. Let me just say, it was definitely noticeable. If that man had his hands on me that much, I’d probably question my sexuality,” Lance chuckled. “ Maybe you’re not really gay -  maybe  it’s just Shiro. Like... his proximity trained your brain or something. Didn’t somebody do a study one time with a dog or something? What was that called?”

“I think that’s Pavlov… And I’m not a dog,” muttered Keith. “Besides, that theory’s been tested. I definitely like dick.”

Lance promptly choked on the space nut in his mouth. “How do you know?”

“Because I know,” Keith deadpanned, completely unabashed. 

“So you’ve…” Lance trailed off as Keith gave him a curt nod. His brain flashed from shocked to jealous to confused in the space of a half second. “When the hell did that happen? And with  _ who _ ? Was this before or after we all ended up in space for years?”

“Before.”

Oh no, Keith was not going to leave him hanging like that. They’d had enough to drink that he was going to get details! Besides, if you couldn’t find out embarrassing personal information about a good friend after traveling across the universe and getting them trashed, there was nothing left to live for. “C’mon, man. Details. I need more than that!”

“It was just some guy, ok?” Keith slurred, taking another drink of whatever the lime green concoction was that he had ordered. “Back when we were at the Garrison. After Shiro left for Kerberos. I got lonely…”

“Was it Griffin?” Lance giggled. “Please, tell me it was Griffin.”

“It wasn’t Griffin.”

“Well, damn. He always seemed to have a stick up his butt,” Lance said. “Makes sense his problem was he really wanted somebody to put one there.”

He expected Keith to give him an unamused look, but he laughed loudly, and Lance knew the drinks were definitely having an effect. He wondered if he’d be able to get the dirty details out of Keith by the end of the night. That was assuming either of them could even remember any of this tomorrow.

“Well, if I was into guys, I’d hook up with you myself to make you feel better,” Lance laughed. “But there’s no way you could handle me.”

“Don’t be gross, Lance.”

“Admit it, you’ve thought about it,” Lance continued, leaning back in his chair and propping his arms up behind his head to draw attention to his lean arms. “There was a time you were interested in all this caramel goodness.”

Keith gave him a blank stare and said flatly, “I would rather have tried to date Pidge.”

Lance howled with laughter. “Oh my God, that would be awesome! I would totally pay money to see that.”

“Have you ever seen somebody hit on Pidge? It’s… a unique experience,” said Keith with a smirk. “Weren’t you at the celebration party when we got back to Earth? Oh… yeah.”

Lance had not been there. While everyone else decided the best way to deal with losing Allura was getting blind drunk on whatever alien alcohol could be found, Lance had been holed up alone in his room on the  _ Atlas _ . It was the beginning of a long downward slide that, ironically enough, Keith had been the one to pull him out of with a little help from Hunk and Shiro.

“Well, anyway,” Keith continued, as usual figuring the best way to get around awkwardness was to plow through it, “there was some guy from the base there that was friends with Kincade that decided Pidge was the shit. He was following her around like a puppy and she couldn’t shake him. She finally got so drunk she made out with him a little and then announced loudly to the whole room that he was a horrible kisser and no one should have to be subjected to that. Something about how she ‘gave of herself for scientific study to save every other girl the trouble’ or some crap. Everybody died laughing and the guy took off like his ass was on fire. Come to think of it, I’m not sure I ever saw him after that…”

“Gotta love Pidge,” Lance snorted. “She is one brutal chick.”

“Pidge is the shit,” Keith laughed, raising his glass in the air. Lance met it with his and clinked them together loudly before they both downed the shots and slammed the glasses back down on the table.

 

*****

Lance woke up to a splitting headache and what sounded like bells ringing in his ears, his chest pressed up against someone’s back. Further lucidity allowed him to gather that there was a mess of dark hair in his face and his arms were wrapped around said person’s torso. Who the hell was he spooning?

He shot up quickly, which was a horrible idea because in addition to the headache and the bells, the room was also spinning. He closed his eyes and grabbed his head, trying to will the movement to stop as he took deep breaths to keep himself from throwing up. He opened his eyes slowly, praying he hadn’t gone home with some strange being. It would be an awkward walk of shame considering he was on an unfamiliar planet. 

The lights were off but there was enough dim light coming in from a skylight for Lance to gather that he was back in Keith’s room. That would mean… 

He looked back down next to him to see that the dark hair belonged to Keith. Thankfully, they both seemed to be fully clothed, so he hadn’t done anything completely off the rails last night. He sighed in relief. The last thing Keith needed was one more friendship that was awkward and complicated. Not to mention the fact that the thought of having sex with Keith made his stomach roll dangerously.

Most of the night before was a blur. He remembered Keith telling him a story about Pidge, and a toast to her awesomeness, and it all went fuzzy after that. He might remember them singing at some point, and for some reason there’s a flash of what could be him trying to kiss Keith. He’s pretty sure it’s not the other way around.  Maybe  Galra alcohol made him experimental. That’s a note future Lance really needs to remember.

Keith was still sleeping peacefully, curled up on his side with his face tucked into the pillow. Lance figured the more he could sleep it off, the less he would be hurting when he woke up. And he  _ would _ be in a world of pain. Lance had seen to that. He remembered continuing to ply Keith with drinks until he threw up in the bathroom and then feeding him more. Because he’s a good friend like that.

Lance looked around for a data pad to check the time, then figured that it really didn’t matter, anyway. He had nowhere he really needed to be. The only thing he was here for was Keith. Lance laid down again next to his friend, considering whether he might still be drunk. He figured there was a good chance he might be but decided he didn’t care as he snuggled back up against Keith and grabbed the blanket to cover them both in the comfortable warmth.  Lance knew the only thing that could heal Keith’s heartache would be time. And he would be there for Keith however and whenever he needed him.

  
  



End file.
